No glory in 'Friday Night Lights' job

Would you a buy new car from Jason Street?

I would. But then, I was almost weeping for that character last night, watching him pull on that suit to go sell cars at Buddy Garrity’s dealership. Pity not Street, I know, for his physical condition; it was more the sight of him trying to close customers that stirred the cockles of my heart. For it had come to this: A star quarterback riding high on his abilities reduced to selling glory through the purchase of a Chevy Malibu.

Even Street’s pal Herc called him Willie Loman. Maybe it was all a little over the top, but pathos, Panther fans, doesn’t come much richer on “Friday Night Lights.”

Elsewhere — and at the risk of a harsh segue — Lila’s new Christian boyfriend is so not hot. Or put another way, the dude can’t weather the extreme FNL close-up with the grace and beauty of our fair wastrel Tim Riggins.

Riggins' declaration of love last night to Lila, however, didn’t play, even though he lit candles and made a chicken dish. The whole sequence felt kind of rushed; in football parlance, it was a pass on third and long that fell short.

Because where did it leave Riggins? Once again standing in that cruel Dillon night, brooding like a poster of himself.

Maybe it’s time Riggins and seemingly 27-year-old Tyra got back together. They were reunited in volleyball practice anyway, Tyra conned into joining the team by new coach Tami Taylor. Riggins, for some reason, is the team’s ball boy, and Tyra found her anger mojo by spiking balls at his head.

I can think of worse ideas for foreplay, Panthers fans. Speaking of which, Landry seems to have met his match in the new nerd-i-licious girl in his physics class. What a long strange trip it’s been for our boy Landry this season: He killed Tyra's stalker and got the hottie girl of his dreams in the bargain, then confessed to the deed (of the killing), but was given immunity.

Then he lost Tyra.

It’s amazing Landry’s kept his appetite, much less his sense of humor. And who knows, maybe he’ll have to fill in as an emergency running back for the Panthers, now that Smash has been suspended for the rest of the season for coming to his baby sister’s rescue and hitting that boy in the movie theater.

Here was a storyline that played out well: Smash didn’t do anything wrong, really, except (he thought) issue an apology for the incident that he knew to be false. Then he unburdened himself only to land into more trouble.

Smash was betrayed by his ego, but also by his honesty. A great scene at the end of the episode showed this: Smash and his mother and Coach Taylor sitting in the Williams' living room, the boy bewildered by the news of his suspension, and the adults crestfallen.

By the way, what was that song they were playing?

Paul Brownfield

(Photo courtesy NBC.com)